Novak through to Final….but who will join him?
Locker Room
July 4, 2014
Novak Djokovic defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a four-set thriller on Centre Court.
Now he waits to discover his opponent for the Wimbledon final on Sunday.
The brave Serb came back from 3-6 down in the fourth-set tie-break, just when the semi-final looked to be getting away from him.
Dimitrov somehow squandered all three of his set points, when one more success would have taken the contest into a fifth set, with the momentum on his side.
Djokovic was far more ruthless than the younger man when he finally saw his chance to close out.
It completed a match which was totally absorbing, even if it didn’t quite hit the heights we had expected.
The Bulgarian didn’t settle at first and Djokovic took a straightforward first set 6-4. Novak also broke in the second, but that’s when it started to go wrong for the favourite.
Dimitrov thrilled watching girlfriend Maria Sharapova by fighting his way back into the match to win the second set 6-3.
Grigor and Djokovic went toe-to-toe all through the third set until they reached the inevitable tie-break.
That’s when Novak’s superior composure and big-time experience began to tell, and he cleaned up easily.
Even so, Dimitrov looked to be finding his best game in the fourth. And few were surprised when he began to take control of what proved to be the last tie-break.
Somehow, that famous Djokovic fighting spirit helped him to claw his way back from the brink when the set seemed lost. Before we knew it, the semi-final was over and Djokovic was through to yet another Grand Slam final.
Novak paid tribute to Grigor straight after the match. Djokovic said: ‘He’s already a top player, a future star, he deserves respect, the fourth set could have gone either way.
‘Again, I allowed my opponent to come back into the match but overall I’m just glad to make it to another Wimbledon final.
‘He has quality shots and a great touch, he plays equally well when he is aggressive or defending. It’s a good win for me, definitely!
‘I have lost my last couple of Grand Slam finals and could have won them. I’m looking forward to the final, whoever I play, it’s a big match and I look forward to competing.’
Roger Federer and Milos Raonic had just begun their semi-final at the time of writing. Federer had consolidated an immediate break of serve but there was a long way to go.
The man to face Djokovic will become clear later this evening.